Mammootty (Malayalam: മമ്മൂട്ടി) (born Muhammad Kutty on 7 September 1953)[1] is an award-winning Malayalam actor who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in a few Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, English and Telugu films. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has acted in more than 300 films as lead actor,[2] and has been successful in both mainstream and parallel cinema.[1]

Mammootty has received many major awards for his performances. These include three National awards, five State awards and eight Filmfare Awards in the best actor category. In 1998, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri for his outstanding contributions to Indian cinema.

Mammootty is also the Chairman of Malayalam Communications, which runs Malayalam TV channels Kairali TV, People TV and WE TV.[3] In a survey among its readers, Vanitha magazine selected Mammootty as the actor with the most sex appeal in Kerala.[4] Mammootty has promoted humanitarian causes throughout Kerala, and is the goodwill ambassador of the Akshaya project.[5]

Family and early life

Mammootty was born and raised in Chembu near Vaikom in the Kottayam district of former state Travancore-Cochin, India in a middle class Muslim family. He was the eldest son of the family. His father Ismail was an agriculturist and his mother Fatima was a housewife. He did his high school (pre-degree) at Maharajas College, Kochi, and then studied law at Ernakulam Government Law College. He also practiced law for two years in Manjeri. He married Sulfath in 1980 and has a daughter, Surumi (b. 1982) and a son, Dulquar Salman (b. 1986).[1]

Acting career

See also: Filmography of Mammootty

Early career, 1971–1980

Mammootty's first screen appearance was an uncredited appearance in the 1971 film Anubhavangal Paalichakal, directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan.[6] He was a student at the Maharajas College then. In 1973, he got another role in Kalachakram, a Prem Nazir movie directed by K. Narayanan. He acted under the screenname Sajin, but later dropped it.[citation needed]

His professional film career began in 1979, when he played his first lead role in Devalokam,[7] directed by veteran M. T. Vasudevan Nair. However, this film was never released.

1980s

Vilkanundu Swapnangal, written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair and directed by M. Azad, was Mammootty's first released film.[8] His roles in Mela, directed by K. G. George, in which he played a circus artist, and Thrishna, directed by I.V. Sasi, got him noticed as a hero.[9][10]

In 1982, his role of a police officer in the investigative thriller Yavanika (1982) directed by K. G. George was the beginning of a trend whereby Mammootty would play the role of a tough cop in many action and investigative thrillers in the coming years.[11]

In 1981, he got his first state award in the Best Supporting Actor category for his performance in Ahimsa.[12]

In the mid 1980's he appeared in Padmarajan’s Koodevide and Joshy’s Aa Raathri. His performances in films like Aalkootathil Thaniye and Adiyozhukkukal, scripted by M.T.Vasudevan Nair established him as an actor of substance.[13]

In a period of five years from 1982 to 1986 Mammootty acted in more than 150 films as a hero.[8]

His role as Karunan in Adiyozhukkukal, directed by I. V. Sasi and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair, earned him a State Award and a Filmfare Award in the Best Actor category. Mammootty won the State special jury award and Best Actor Filmfare Award for Yathra directed by Balu Mahendra, in which he played the role of a forest officer. Other movies of the 80s included Nirakkoottu (1985), New Delhi(1987) and Thaniyavarthanam (1987).

Late 1980s and 1990s

In 1988 Mammootty appeared in Oru CBI Diary Kurippu which was followed by three more murder mystery sequels produced with the same cast of characters: Jagratha (1989), Sethurama Iyer CBI (2004) and Nerariyan C.B.I (2005). The films were all directed by K Madhu, penned by S. N. Swamy with Mammootty as Sethurama Iyer. Two of M. T. Vasudevan Nair’s films were acted by Mammootty. One was Aksharangal directed by I. V. Sasi and the other was Sukrutham directed by Harikumar.

Mammootty appeared in the film Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, directed by T. Hariharan and penned by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. His depiction of a Chekavar(mercenary warrior) of distinguished valor but vilified by circumstances won him the National Film Award for Best Actor. Mammootty's performance in Mathilukal directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan was also considered for the award. His role as a hunter Varunni in Mrugaya, directed by I. V. Sasi, and another film Mahayanam, were also considered for the state award. Mammootty won the Filmfare Award for his performance in Amaram, directed by Bharathan.[14]

Mammootty received his second national award for his performances in Adoor Gopalakrishnan's Vidheyan and TV Chandran's Ponthan Mada. He also received state award for his roles in both films. His performance in Valtsalyam directed by Cochin Haneefa was also considered for the State award.[14]

In 1999, Mammootty won his third national award for Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar, an English language movie about the life of Ambedkar, directed by Jabbar Patel.[15] The film was sponsored by the National Film Development Corporation of India and the Ministry of Social Justice.

Current era, 2000–present

In the early 2000s, Mammootty acted in films such as Siddique's Chronic Bachelor, K Madhu's Sethurama Iyer CBI and Blessy's Kazhcha. In 2004, he won the state award for his portrayal of Operator Madhavan in Kazhcha. The year 2005 proved to be immensely successful for him with two major box office hits in Thommanum Makkalum and Rajamanikyam, the latter directed by debutant Anwar Rasheed; Rajamanikyam went on to become the biggest hit of Malayalam cinema at that time.[16]

In October 2009, Pazhassi Raja, directed by T Hariharan and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair, was released. It was touted as the highest grossing film in the history of Malayalam cinema.[17]

In 2009, he won his fifth state award for Best Actor for his performance in Paleri Manikyam.

Films in other languages

Mammootty has acted in a few non-Malayalam movies and these include some Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada and English films. In 1989, he made his Tamil debut in Maunam Sammatham, directed by K. Madhu. He has acted in Tamil films for directors including K. Balachander (Azhagan) and Mani Ratnam (Thalapathy). Kilippechu Kekkavaa (1993), directed by Fazil, had Mammootty as a romantic hero. He acted in the Kannada film Love in 2005.

He made his debut into Hindi films through Thriyathri which was released in 1989, though his first film as a hero was Dhartiputra. He starred in the biographical film Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar directed by Jabbar Patel. He also appeared in Sau Jhooth Ek Sach and the Telugu film Swathi Kiranam.

During the 2006 IIFA Awards ceremony held at Dubai, he openly criticized the organizers of the IIFA Awards for completely ignoring South Indian film by stating that the Bollywood film industry should stand up to competition from the South Indian film industry before calling itself international.[18]

Humanitarian works

Mammootty is involved in more than half a dozen philanthropic projects aimed at helping needy people.[19]

Pain and Palliative Centre

Mammootty is the patron of the Pain and Palliative Care Society,[20] a charitable organization in Kerala formed with the aim of improving the quality of life among patients with advanced cancer. He has been the fuel and the engine of the Pain and Palliative Care Centre situated in Kozhikode, India.[21] Mammootty has now put forth a novel project to provide the pain and palliative care to those suffering from cancer throughout Kerala.[22]

Jeevan Jothi

Mammootty is the ambassador of Jeevan Jothi, a social work project aimed at providing aid to people seeking treatment for any ophthalmic diseases, cardiac diseases, orthopedic diseases, liver diseases, renal dysfunctions, Haemophilia diseases, or ENT disorders.[citation needed]

Street India Movement

Mammootty is the goodwill ambassador of a charity project "Street India Movement", which is aimed at the eradication of child begging and child labor. He has promoted the activities of the movement, which networks with orphanages and institutions looking after the children.[23]

Kazhcha- free eye care and treatment

Kazhcha is a venture to extend free eye care and treatment organized by Mammootty Fans Welfare Association and Mammootty Times, in association with Little Flower Hospital and Research Centre and the Eye Bank Association of Kerala. One of the major activities related to this is distribution of free spectacles to children. A special fund received from the office of the President of India will be utilized for this purpose. Free eye camps will also be conducted at various places in connection to this project.[24]

Donating food and goods

During Onam 2007, Mammootty donated food items among thousand families in Parathodu near Kanjirappally in Kottayam district, a Kerala village which was hit by Chikungunya. The village which was worst hit by the disease claimed the most lives in the state.[25] In a press conference Mammootty explained his motives for doing this:

“

I decided to do this because the village has lost the maximum number of people to chikunguniya in the state this year. And this is not a publicity event and I would not be going there to distribute it either. This is done to see that others also come to extend a helping hand to those who are suffering.

”

Akshaya: information technology dissemination

Akshaya, the information technology dissemination project of the Government of Kerala, has Mammootty as its Goodwill Ambassador.[26] He formally took over the role on 26 February 2006 at a video networked programme which was linked to all the district headquarters of the state.[5] Mammootty spearheaded the campaign by appearing in print and visual media advertisements and other publicity materials that sent the message of the Akshaya project to the grassroots. He explained:

“

I am really happy to be associated with this unique project that promises to ring in wholesome change to the perceptions about Kerala as it seeks to make its presence felt in the digital era... If we manage to reach the benefits of information technology to the entire population, we would be able to raise ourselves to the levels of a developed society. I understand that the Akshaya project has been launched with this objective. I am sure this unique project will go to make the State a fully empowered knowledge society.[27]

”

Akshaya, Kerala’s mass computer literacy campaign which has bagged several awards, has roped in the multilingual actor to popularize the programme.[28]

Television career

Mammootty in December 2008

As of 2010, Mammootty is the Chairman of Malayalam Communications,[29] which runs some Malayalam TV channels such as Kairali TV, People TV and Channel We.

He formed a television production company, Megabytes, which has produced some television serials, the first being Jwalayay in the late 1990s, which was also his first project as a producer.[30]Jwalayay created history in Malayalam television.[31] He had started a distribution company named Mammootty Technotainment.[32] It has distributed his Tamil film Karmegham in Kerala. It gets the first share from the distribution rights.

Other activities

Mammootty was appointed as the Global Brand ambassador of the Kerala-based South Indian Bank on 16 October 2006.[33][34] He was also featured as the brand ambassador for Kerala Volleyball League.[35]

Mammootty and Dubai-based businessman MA Yousuf Ali met with the officials of the Dubai Internet City (DIC) to lobby for the proposed Smart City project at Kochi.[36]

Mammootty wrote his first book Kazhchapadu (roughly translated as ("Perspective"), a compilation of short essays he has written in various publications over the years.[37][38]

Awards, honours and recognitions

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Mammootty

Civilian honours

No.

Year

Award

Category

Awarded by

Notes

001

1998

Padma Shri

Art, Cinema

Government of India

More[show]

"In January 1998, Government of India honoured Mammootty with the civilian award, Padma Shri, awarded for his national service, including his contribution to the Indian film industry."

Honorary degrees

No.

Year

Award

Category

Awarded by

Notes

002

2009

D.Litt.

Art, Cinema

University of Kerala

More[show]

"In January 2010, University of Kerala honoured Mammootty with the Doctorate of Letters, D.Litt., awarded for his national service, including his contribution to the Indian film industry."

001

2009

D.Litt.

Art, Cinema

University of Calicut

More[show]

"In December 2009, University of Calicut honoured Mammootty with the Doctorate of Letters, D.Litt., awarded for his national service, including his contribution to the Indian film industry."

Other major honours and recognitions

Asiavision TV and Radio Asia survey results. The awards ceremony will take place on May 14, 2010.

002

2010

Millennium Actor Award

Asianet

More[show]

"Kamal Hasan gave away the Asianet ‘Millenium Actor’ award to Megastar Mammootty for his outstanding contribution to the Indian film industry."

003

2007

Legendary Actor Award

Filmfare

More[show]

"Amitabh Bachchan gave away the Filmfare ‘Legendary’ award to Megastar Mammootty for his outstanding contribution to the Indian film industry."

004

2006

Everest Award for Best Actor

Etisalat

More[show]

"He won the Etisalat Everest Award for Best Actor, selected through a poll. It was an award for all-time best actor in Malayalam cinema."

005

2005

The Box Office Hero

Vanitha

More[show]

"In 2005, Mammootty was awarded the "Box Office Hero of Malayalam" by Vanitha, a leading Indian magazine. His Rajamanikyam, released during Ramzan 2005, became a swashbuckling hit. It broke all collection records and became the biggest hit of 2005. It was also touted as the biggest hit of all time ever produced in the Malayalam movie industry."

006

2004

Chalachitra Ratnam

Film Critics

More[show]

"In 2004, he was awarded the "Chalachitra Ratna" award by the Film Critics Association of Kerala."

007

2004

Male Sex Symbol of Kerala

Vanitha

More[show]

"After a survey among its readers, the magazine Vanitha selected megastar Mammootty as the actor with the most sex appeal."

Miscellaneous awards

No.

Year

Award

Presented by

Notes

001

2004

Asia Pacific Merlian Award

Presented by Singapore Malayalee Association (SMA)

In conjunction with the Asia-Pacific Malayalee Conference held in Singapore

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